Massage-rollers.



PATENTED JULY 12, 1904.

G. M. DUNSHBE. MASSAGE ROLLERS. APPLICATION FILED AUG. 27, 1903.

NO MODEL.

' ing a part of one of the handles.

Patented July 12, 1.704.

GLENN M. DUNSHEE,

MASSAGE- OF ROLAND, IOWA.

ROLLERS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 764,799, dated July 12, 1904;.

Application filed .2. x

Be it known that I, GLENN M. DUNSHEE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Roland, in the county of Story and State of Iowa, have invented new and useful Massage-Rollers, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to massage-rollers.

The object of the invention is to provide a device for massage comprising a plurality of rollers of peculiar construction adapted to conform more nearly to the contour of the surface of the body in various regions than the massage-rollers heretofore employed and adapted to produce superior effects in kneading the tissues of the body and stimulating circulation.

A further object of the invention is to provide a massage device adapted for use under varying conditions and susceptible of manufacture at very low cost.

I/Vith the objects above stated and others in view, as will appear when the invention is more fully disclosed, the same consists in the construction and combination of parts of a massage device hereinafter fully described and claimed, and illustrated in the accompanying drawings, forming part of this specification, it being understood that various changes in the form and proportions of the elements exhibited may be resorted to without departing from the spirit of the invention or sacrilicing its advantages.

In the drawings, Figure 1 is a plan view of the complete invention. Fig. 2 is a detail view from the side, on an enlarged scale, of one end of the device adjacent to and includ- Fig. 3 is a detail view of one of the rollers detached from the frame. Fig. i is a detail view of the preferred form of handle. Fig. 5 is a detail view of a modified form of handle.

eferring to the drawings, in which corresponding parts are designated by the same characters of reference, F designates generally a flexible frame made up of two chains each comprising links of three types, (designated, respectively, 1, 2, and The links 1 are oblong, with parallel sides and rounded corners, and are provided with small openings rollers of the device.

as by upsetting the ends.

4% adjacent to the ends and a middle opening Serial No. 171,011. (No model.)

5 of larger size. The links 2 are of wire and are provided at the ends with hooks for engagement with the small openings 4 adjacent to the ends of links 1. In the form of the invention illustrated there are in each of the side chains of the frame four links of the form designated 1 and five of the form designated 2. At each end ofeach chain is provided a link of the form designated 3, which is wider at one end than the other and is provided with three openings 6, 7, and 8. The openings 6 are of the same size as the openings 4 in the links 1 and are intended for engagement with hooks on the ends of links 2, as shown. The openings 8 at the larger ends of the links 3 are provided for the reception of the hooks 9,

provided on the ends of arms 10 of the handles 11, which are made of any suitable material and are protected at the ends by metallic ferrules, as shown. The openings 5 in links 1 and the openings 7 in links 3 are all of the same size and are provided to receive the terminals 12 of the wire spirals 13, which form the The wire employed in the manufacture of the rollers may be of any preferred size; but I have found thata No. 10 wire of steel is best adapted for general use. Each of the spirals 13 will be wound with as many whirls as may be desired, arid the diameter of the whirls may vary considerably; but the preferred size for the whirls is three-quarters of an inch in diameter, and it is desirable to have eight whirls in each spiral. As the spirals will be about three inches in length, this will make the average space between the whirls of the spirals about a quarter of an inch. 'The spirals are preferably sheathed with rubber tubing, which fits smoothly upon the wire of which the spirals are formed and which terminates near each end of each spiral. leaving the terminals 12 uncovered to form journals upon which the spirals turn. The terminals of the spirals are inserted in the middle openings of the oblong chain-links, as already explained, and are secured therein in any suitable manner,

The complete massage device when constructed in the manner described 1s susceptible of flection in all directions, and when used upon any portion of the body the rollers automatically conform to the surface contour of the body, so as to produce substantially equal effects upon the entire surface over which they are drawn.

A special feature of the construction is that when the device is used upon portions of the body presenting a pronounced curvature of surface the bending of the rollers Will bring the whirls of the spirals closer together at the point of contact with the body and Will produce a slight pinching effect upon the skin, which is very stimulative in its effects upon the superficial circulation and is correspondingly beneficial. The elastic sheathing upon the whirls of the spirals increases the thickness of the whirls and cushions the surface of the rollers, so that the device may be used Without discomfort over those portions of the body where the skin lies very close to the bony structure, and the cushion of intervening tissues is extremely thin.

In Fig. 5 is shown a modified form of handle for the device, comprisinga roller 15, supported upon a wire frame 16, having slightlyconverging arms 17, terminating in hooks 18 for engagement with the openings in the end links of the chains forming the frame of the device.

The materials used in the manufacture of the device may be of any suitable kind. Metal of some kind, preferably itself noncorrodible or provided with a non-corrodible covering, will be employed in the manufacture of the chains, spirals, and the arms of the handles. The handles may be of wood, cork, or any other suitable material and may be made of the forms shown or any other which is deemed preferable.

Having described the construction and operation of my invention, What I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, 1s

1. A massage device comprising a roller consisting of a loosely-coiled spiral.

2. A massage device comprising a roller consisting of a loosely-coiled spiral having a cover of resilient material.

3. A massage device comprising an extensible roller consisting of a loosely coiled spiral.

4:. A massage device having a roller consisting of a spiral of spring-wire.

5. A massage device having a roller consisting of a spiral of spring-wire covered with a sheath of resilient material.

6. A massage device comprising a flexible frame having sides formed of interengaging links and rollers consisting of spirals of wire whose terminals form journals which are supported in openings in said links.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my own I have hereto affixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

GLENN M. DUNSHEE.

l/Vitnesses:

A. GEINoR JoHNsoN, H. T. Sowuns. 

